Liquidity solution: Pawnbrokers take fine wine as collateral for loans

Some U.S. pawnbrokers are taking liquid assets - literally.

Fitch Affirms Senior and Subordinate Notes of SLM Student Loan Trust, Series 2007-3

Fitch Ratings affirms both the senior notes at 'AAAsf' and subordinate student loan note at 'A-sf' issued by SLM Student Loan Trust series 2007-3. The Rating Outlook remains Negati

Fitch Affirms Senior and Subordinate Notes of SLM Student Loan Trust, Series 2003-11

Fitch Ratings affirms both the senior notes at 'AAAsf' and subordinate student loan note at 'BBB-sf' issued by SLM Student Loan Trust series 2003-11. The Rating Outlook remains Neg

Fitch Affirms Senior and Subordinate Notes of SLM Student Loan Trust, Series 2006-6

Fitch Ratings affirms both the senior notes at 'AAAsf' and subordinate student loan note at 'BBBsf' issued by SLM Student Loan Trust series 2006-6. The Rating Outlook remains Negat

Fitch Affirms Senior and Subordinate Notes of SLM Student Loan Trust, Series 2006-9

Fitch Ratings affirms both the senior notes at 'AAAsf' and subordinate student loan note at 'BBBsf' issued by SLM Student Loan Trust series 2006-9. The Rating Outlook remains Negat

Fitch Affirms Senior and Subordinate Notes of SLM Student Loan Trust, Series 2008-3

Fitch Ratings affirms both the senior notes at 'AAAsf' and subordinate student loan note at 'A+sf' issued by SLM Student Loan Trust series 2008-3. The Rating Outlook remains Negative for the senior classes and Outlook Stable for the subordinate class.

Past foreclosure means waiting years for new loan

Next to filing for bankruptcy protection, nothing wrecks your chances of qualifying for a home loan like a foreclosure.

Romney proposes 28 percent top income tax rate (Reuters)

Reuters - Republican Mitt Romney, looking for a boost in his presidential campaign, proposed an overhaul of the tax system on Wednesday that he said would cut Americans' tax rates by 20 percent and limit deductions for the wealthy.

Mortgage activity slides with rates higher

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association said U.S. mortgage activity fell 4.5 percent in the week ending Friday, as long-term interest rates rose.

Mounting student loans a 'debt bomb' waiting to explode

It’s a vicious cycle. Many families in this country cannot afford the skyrocketing cost of higher education without student loans. But many graduates cannot find a job and cannot pay off the loans.

Credit Card Disclosures: Effective or Not?

Do credit card disclosures influence consumers’ financial behavior? And if so, do they influence it for the better or the worse? Both, a new study finds. Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau meets to discuss the credit card marketplace, a year after the effective date of many...

Is Student Loan Debt The Next Financial Crisis?

The student loan system is in desperate need of reform, as more and more gradutes struggle to find work and pay off their student loans.

UK Banks Lead Charge to Sell Off Bad Property Loans

The pressure on banks in Europe to get rid of bad property loans off their books has not eased amidst the worsening sovereign debt crisis that seemingly no-one was has the solution to.

5 Banks Stocks Profiting on the Most Profitable Loans (Update 1)

Updated with early afternoon market action. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Many banks are trying to grow their commercial and industrial loan books, which is of prime importance to investors as other loan balances continue to shrink. "Banks covet C&I loans because it is the area showing the earliest growth as we emerge from the recession," says Jefferies analyst Ken Usdin, "and many banks that ...

JPMorgan, Citi, BofA sued for $949 million by Sealink (Reuters)

Reuters - JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and more than a half dozen other major banks are being hit with a new lawsuit over $949 million in residential mortgage-backed securities.

Should Mortgage Rates Even Be Lower?

Mortgage rates are the lowest on record. But by a key historical measure, they should be even lower.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management Raises Over $450 Million For Opportunistic Mortgage Income Strategy

Morgan Stanley Investment Management announced today that the Morgan Stanley Opportunistic Mortgage Income Fund LP, a fund dedicated to investments in mortgage-related secur

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Announces Preliminary 2011 Year-End Financial Results

ATLANTA -- Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (the Bank) today released unaudited financial highlights for the year ended Dec. 31, 2011. The Bank will announce 2011 audited financial results in its Form ...

Oops, Interest-Free Loans Are Taxable

Suppose your employer loans you money, and like a good employee, you repay it. Neither event is taxable. But paying interest has tax effects to you both. What if you agree there?s no interest?

Credit Sesame Launches the Industry's First Interactive Visual Mortgage Comparison Tool

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, CreditSesame.com , the popular personal finance and credit education resource site, announced the launch of its interactive mortgage comparison and ...

Credit Suisse Suspends Volatility ETN Issuance

Credit Suisse late Tuesday said it has temporarily suspended further issuance of VelocityShares Daily 2x VIX Short-Term ETN (NYSEArca: TVIX ) due to internal limits on the size of the exchange traded note.The ...

Mortgage Application Volume Falls 2.5%

The number of mortgage applications filed in the U.S. last week fell 2.5% from the prior week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday.

Rate alert: best loans and credit cards

We review the best credit cards and personal loans for your borrowing needs.

Consumer-finance watchdog probes overdraft fees (AP)

AP - The government's new consumer-watchdog agency is launching a probe into costly overdraft fees charged by big banks.

Student loans are a ticking 'debt bomb'

It’s a vicious cycle. Many families in this country cannot afford the skyrocketing cost of higher education without student loans. But many graduates can't find a job to pay off the loans.

U.S. mortgage applications sagged last week: MBA (Reuters)

Reuters - Applications for U.S. home mortgages tumbled last week as demand for loan refinancing sagged, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Record European Credit Rally Halted on Greek Bailout Wrangling

A record rally in European credit markets ground to a halt as the unraveling rescue plan for Greece fueled concern of a default triggering turmoil in the euro region.

TransUnion: National Credit Card Delinquencies End 2011 Nearly 5% Lower Than Last Year

CHICAGO, IL-- - The national credit card delinquency rate reached 0.78% in the fourth quarter of 2011, a drop of almost 5% from the same period one year ago and continuing well below historical norms. ...

Your mortgage escrow account isn't for investing

Dear Dr. Don,I have just discovered that my mortgage escrow account for a mortgage that I refinanced last year pays 2 percent interest. This is apparently mandated by New York state law. Is it possible ...

Simplified mortgage statements proposed

Washington— Your monthly mortgage bill soon could get easier to understand, and it wouldn't change each time your loan is sold to a new servicer.

U.S. proposes to reduce top corporate tax rate: report (Reuters)

Reuters - The Obama administration will propose slashing the top income tax rate for corporations to 28 percent from the current 35 percent, as part of a corporate tax reform plan that is set to be announced on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said.

Citigroup ‘Defrauded’ Fannie, Freddie With Bad Loans, Whistle-Blower Says

Citigroup Inc. (C) , which last week admitted breaking Federal Housing Administration rules and paid a fine, also violated regulations for home loans sold to Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) , according to a whistle-blower’s complaint.

Fannie, Freddie need to tighten legal expenses: regulator (Reuters)

Reuters - A government watchdog on Wednesday said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's regulator needs to curtail the rising cost of their legal expenses since there is no end in sight to the widening taxpayer tab keeping the two firms afloat.

Watchdog: Limit Fannie, Freddie legal fees more (AP)

AP - The U.S. government regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must do a better job limiting legal expenses paid by the two mortgage giants to their former executives facing lawsuits, a new watchdog report says.

Pace of new credit card accounts picks up in 2011

More people opened new credit card accounts last year, as the banking industry began to loosen standards it tightened during the recession.

Mortgage relief faces a tax-law nightmare

The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act — under which a reduction on mortgage principal as a result of a loan modification, short sale or foreclosure is not subject to federal income tax — will expire in 10 months, and there are early indications that Congress might not renew it by then.

Credit Suisse Temporarily Suspends Further Issuance of VelocityShares Daily 2x Long VIX Short-Term ETN (Ticker Symbol ...

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Credit Suisse announced today that it has temporarily suspended further issuances of the VelocityShares Daily 2x VIX Short-Term ETNs (Ticker Symbol: "TVIX") ...

Colorado woman must turn over computer password (AP)

AP - Sophisticated encryption software has become so readily available and so effective, it's surpassed the federal government's ability to seize computers and gather evidence in criminal cases.

Mortgage Industry Professionals Gather to Discuss American Homeownership

On February 10, 2012, Radian Guaranty hosted a panel on Capitol Hill called, “Homeownership: Creating Access to Mortgages, the Public-Private Balance.” The purpose of the panel was

Quicken Loans Waves Green Flag on New Racing Website

DETROIT, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the start of the NASCAR season and its first full year as a primary sponsor of Ryan Newman's No. 39 Chevrolet Impala, Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. today ...